Venetian blind



y 8 1935- J. E. COOPER 2,003,174

I VENETIAN BLIND Filed July 19, 1934 Jesse E Cooper WW Patented May 28, 1935 I I UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND Jesse E. Cooper, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by mesne assigmnents, to National Venetian Blind 00., Los Angeles, Calif., a. corporation of Califorma Application July 19, 1934, Serial No. 735,924 Claims. (01. 156-17) The present invention relates to Venetian Another object is to provide a novel type of blinds, and more particularly to the construction head-rail and tilt-rail construction having means of and the co-operative association between the for preventing leakage of light therebetween, head-rails and the tilt-rails of blinds of the genwhich, to the casual observer, has the same ap- 5 eral class indicated. pearance as the usual type of construction, which 5 It is common practice in the construction of performs all the functions of the ordinary type Venetian blinds, to suspend the slats of a blind fully as well, and the cost of manufacture, assemfrom a tilt-rail which in turn is supported below bly or installation of which is no greater.

a head-rail or other member which usually'serves The invention possesses other objects and valuas the means whereby the blind is mounted in able features, some of which, with the foregoing, 10 operative position. The slats are supported will be set forth in the following description of through the expedient of opposed tapes engaging the inventions preferred embodiments which are the front and rear edges of the slats and secured illustrated in the drawing accompanying and respectively to the front and rear edges of the forming a part of this specification. It is to be tilt-rail which is so mounted that it is subject understood thatIdo not limit myself to the show- 15 to being tilted, whereby all the slats are simuling made by the said drawing and description, taneously tilted so as to vary the amount of air as I may adapt variations of the preferred forms and/or light permitted to pass between the sevwithin the scope of the invention as set forth in eral slats of the blind. In the usual construction the claims. i

29 of head-rail and tilt-rail, however, suficient space Referring to the drawing: 2 has been left between these two. members to per- Figure 1 is a transverse, vertical sectional view mit the latter to be swung into a substantially taken through the upper portion of a Venetian vertical plane in order close the blind and thereby blind embodying the principle of the present inprevent substantially all passage of air and/or 'vention, with the tilt-rail in horizontal, or fully light between the slats. Due to the mechanical open position. 2 requirements which must be met in order to per- Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but with the mit free movement of the parts at all times, it tilt-rail and slats moved toward closing position. has been necessary to mount the tilt-rail far Fig.3is another view similar to Fig. 1, but showenough below the head-rail to have a material ing a slightly modified form of construction.

30 degree of clearance therebetween even when the v Fig. 4 is still another view similar to Fig. 1, but 30 v tilt-rail is in its fully closed position. In usual showing a further modified form of construction. practice, the clearance amounts to as much as In terms of broad inclusion, the present inventhree eighths or a half an inch. This practice tion contemplates the mounting of the tilt-rail has proven to be objectionable in many instances, of a Venetian blind at a less space below the headbecause it permits leakage of a streak of light of rail or other member below which it is pivoted,. 35 that thickness and extending throughout the as compared with more conventional construcwidth of the blind, this leakage being present, tions, so that when the tilt-rail is swung to a and, in fact, particularly objectionable, when substantially vertical plane, thereby closing the the blind is in fully closed position, for it is due blind, an edge of the tilt-rail enters a recess in 40 to the darkened condition of the room or other the under surface of the head-rail or its equivaenclosure where the blind is installed that the lent, thereby serving efiectually to establishasubstreak of light referred to is more noticeable. stantially light-tight seal between the tilt-rail and Although the other parts of the blind are in fully the member immediately thereabove. closed position, preventing passage of substan- More specifically described, the Venetian blind tially all light between the slats, it is never posof my present invention comprises a head-rail '6 sible, with Venetian blinds of conventional conbelow which is pivotally mounted, as by supportstruction, to intercept this annoying and often ing brackets l, atilt-rail 8. At predetermined inhighly objectionable streak of light at the top tervals throughout the length of the tilt-rail 8, of the blind. opposed tapes 9 hang, from opposite edges of the 59 An O je t Of t present invention, e efflre, v tilt-rail 8, these tapes, serving to support a pliiis to provide a Venetian blind, wherein means rality of slatsllinthe conventional manner. The are provided for intercepting and dispensing with association between tlfe tilt-rail and the severalthe streak of light which, in more conventional slats H, (only one of which is shown in the draw- Venetian blinds, leaks between the head-rail and ing) is such that the slats H are subject to being 5s tilt-rail even when the blind is fully closed. adjusted simultaneously from horizontal planes 5 to inclined or even substantially vertical planes by similar movement of the tilt-rail 8, it being understood that the tilt-rail 8 is supported by the brackets I or their equivalent for movement about an axis I2, extending longitudinally of the tiltrail 8. Whereas any suitable means for effecting adjustment of the tilt-rail 8 may be'employed, the mechanism which has been chosen for illustration comprises a substantially semi-circular worm wheel l6 fixed preferably at one end of the tilt-rail 8 in coaxial relationship thereto. This worm wheel l1 carried by a shaft l8 which is journaled preferably in one of the brackets I and which extends transversely of the head-rail 6 beyond the reveal or inner face l9 thereof whereit carries a sheave (concealed under a hood 2|) over which passes a cord 22 which may be manipulated from below to effect rotation of the shaft l8 and worm II whereby rotational adjustment of the worm wheel l8 and tilt-rail 8 can be effected.

Elevation of the lowermost slat and gathering thereon of the slats ll thereabove can be effected in the usual manner through the expedient of additional cords 23 which depend from the headrail 8 passing through the tilt-rail 8 and the slats H in a manner well known in the art to which this invention pertains.

Observation of Figures 1 and 2 will reveal that a recess 26 is made in the under surface 21 of the head-rail 6 with a lip'or apron 28 extending downwards at each of the inner and outer edges I9 and 29 respectively of the head-rail 6. Furthermore, the brackets I are of such length and they are so positioned that an edge (say the inner edge 3 I) of the tilt-rail 8 enters the recess 28 when the tilt-rail is tilted so as to move that edge 3l upwards. This is the principal point of differentiation of the blind of my invention and these constructed along more conventional lines. The axis l2 about which the tilt-rail 8 moves is disposed at a less distance below the mouth of the recess 26 than the radius of the greatest circular arc described by a portion of the tilt-rail 8 when the latter swings.

As will be clearly understood by observation of Figure 2, this arrangement of the tilt-rail 8 with respect to the head-rail 6 results in intercepting the streak of light which would otherwise penetrate between these two members even when the tilt-rail 8 is tilted to its most nearly fully closed position, thereby representing a material improvement over more conventionally constructed Venetian blinds wherein suflicient space must be left between the head-rail and tilt-rail to leave a material clearance between the members even when the tilt-rail is in its most nearly vertical position, which arrangement, as explained hereinabove, permits penetration of an objectionable streak of light into the room or other enclosure where the blind is installed, such penetration taking place even when the blind is otherwise completely closed and being at such times'most objectionable because the leakage of this streak of light is most noticeable when the room is nearly darkened as the result of the closing of the major portion of the blind.

Fig. 3 shows a slightly modified form of construction wherein the recess 26 in the under surface 21' of the head-rail 6 is narrower than the recess 26 of the first described modification. Here the recess 25' is of arcuate cross-sectional configuration, the center of the arc described thereby lying substantially within the axis I! about It is enmeshed with a driving worm tiltably mounted therebelow,

which the tilt-rail 8' swings. However, as in the first described modification, whichever edge, say the edge 3|, of the tilt-rail moves upwards is caused to enter the recess 26 and thereby effect a substantially light-tight seal between the headrail 6 and tilt-rail 8 when the blind is closed.

Fig. 4 discloses another modified form wherein the recess 26" in the under surface 21" and the head-rail 6" is defined by but a single lip or apron 28 extending along preferably the outer surface 29 of the head-rail 6".

Whereas the lips or aprons 28, 28', or 28", as the case might be, defining the recess 25, 26', and 26" respectively, have been illustrated as being composed of the same material as that of which the head-rail proper is composed, it should be understood that they may be made separately from the head-rail and attached thereto by any convenient means, the only requirement in so far as the present invention is concerned being that they extend far enough below the horizontal plane reached by an edge of the tilt-rail when in the most nearly vertical position of the latter to intercept light which would otherwise tend to leak between the tilt-rail and the member from which the apron or aprons, as the case might be, depend.

I claim:

1. In a Venetian blind, a tilt-rail adapted to support slats of a blind for tilting adjustment, and means supporting said tilt-rail for tilting movement, said supporting means having a recess in the under surface thereof, and the'axis of movement of said tilt-rail being spaced from the mouth of said recess less than the distance between said axis and an edge of said tilt-rail.

2. In a Venetian blind, a tilt-rail adapted to support slats of a blind for tilting adjustment, a horizontal member having a recess in the under surface thereof, and means for supporting said tilt-rail under said horizontal member for tilting movement, the axis of movement of saidtilt-rail being spaced from the mouth of said recess less than the distance between said axis and an edge of said tilt-rail. l

3. In a Venetian blind, a head-rail having a recess in the under surface thereof, and a tilt rail the axis of tilting movement of said tilt-rail being spaced from the mouth of said recess less than the distance between said axis and an edge of said tilt-rail whereby said edge is caused to enter said recess when said tilt-rail is tilted, with said edge toward said head-rail.

4. In a Venetian blind, a head-rail, a plurality of blind slats and means supporting said slats below said head-rail for tilting adjustment whereby said slats can optionally be positioned in spaced, substantially horizontal planes or in overlapping, closely adjacent relationship to intercept light rays, said supporting means being disposed in position to overlap a portion of said head- I JESSE E. COOPER. 

